Steve, I came in late and am a little confused. If I were going to use the IMP as subwoofer only (<60hz) it sounds as though the std. IMP would do the trick loaded one 18" per, but I see SO references, and some sketches by you. Is this an existing product? Can I get plans? Can you compare the two options for sub operation only. Thanks.

Well I'll tell ya what I know.Everyone is still building the Std Imperial as a subwoofer because the plans for the Imp SO have yet to be released.I have been chomping at the bit for awhile now to get the plans for the SO.Putting the plans on the site soon was mentioned by steve on one of his Decfest posts.I am the only one I know of that has built anything close so far. I am not inclined to say to much about it.However I still want the plans to make a more accurate one and if it was not for Steves explaination I would not have even got close.E mail him direct would be a good idea.

This is what I think about the imperial so. I would bet good money the plans are complete in pdf format. Steve posted a picture of it, didn't he? I do not think it will be released in that format though. I am noticing a trend here. Higher spl designs are usually included in the $20 pass, higher sq are available for $40 each. I hope not but that's just a guess.

Also, I don't think you are likely to see it available at all until spring at least. It makes good business sense to have new stuff available as often as possible, not as soon as possible. Again, I hope not, but that's my guess.

One more guess. If you look at the picture of the imperial so and then look at the picture of the WO32 and then look at the available imperial plans, and if you can also use a calculator and a protractor you should be able to design your very own imperial so that should be as just as effective.

bassboy- You forget the slot and ya it is kinda of a hybrid along the lines you mentioned. My version is based on the Imperial horn and a few other factors,including the Karson/karlson slot.I do know I still want to get steves design because if it was not for him I would not have the partial cardboard prototype I have now.

Also remember that steve wanted to use less material, if he did or not in the finished design is anyones guess.Has anyone seen the outside and inside dimensions? No? so we are just guessing.I like guessing, it makes it fun to playaround and test your work.

Cory- The only design that I would maybe need the full scale plans so far is Steves corner horn. I have done large patterns. I can also project patterns to size. It is time consumming but can be done. I learned some art technigues when I did my own signage.My Mother in law also has a 16 X 8 table with 1 inch increments and that helps alot when taking a small pattern to a large one. ( used for sewing).anyway until I get alot more knowledge than I have I am just playing around.

Much respect to you guys, but this isn't rocket science. All you have to do is change the design from back loaded horn to front loaded and cut a hole in the front if you want. The fancy hole is hardly necessary and would probably not change the sound that much, as far as I can tell it only filters high frequencies, which shouldn't really be that much of a problem.

The huge advantage to the new one is the front loading, not any of the other mods of which there are probably not many. Even if the new one is totally different dimensions, I am still willing to bet changing the original to front loaded alone will be as effective as the new design.

Corey - if you need big ass blueprints to build a box maybe you should stick to your hobby of dieting. You should be able to make something exceedingly similar with a scale drawing with no numbers on it.

Your right Bassboy! It ain't much of a science..And most of us to figure it out real close, but it still would not be exact like Steves. Who knows if it has to be.

My hack out of cardboard works great.

It is a Imp corner cab with a sealed enclosure However: I believe the slot does make a diffreance. because it helps direct sound into the horn and out the front.Mine is undersized to accomadate the 12" and guide a little more into the horn.I tend to be a little secretive at the moment. But that one thread tells you all you need to know to get it,unless steve has made some modifications.The principle is the same.I just want to wait on Steve because of my respect for the man.

I have much respect for Steve as well, mostly for introducing me to the original imperial. Not so much for modifying it. I made mine from the original plans, it was not til much later that I saw Steve's. The mods are common sense and I did much the same thing on my first try, I didn't have to make six pairs to find out there were big problems with the original. By the way, other than added bracing, Steve only made ONE modification to the original, opening up the compression chamber. It's common sense, or it should be. The next common sense mod is front loading the horn, which I didn't need Steve to tell me, nor do I need him to tell me how to do it.

The front slot, however is not common sense and may be a brilliant idea, I don't know. If you run the sub by itself you probably would hear a noticable difference but I am not at all convinced you would hear any difference with the front speakers playing as well.

Corey, when I was about two years old my mommy told me to try to figure things out by myself. That advice has served me pretty well.

But you have fun waiting. Steve mentioned a few months ago that he has been sitting on this design for over a year. There is no hint from Steve that he will be making plans available this year or next.

quote from Steve" The Imperial SO's were demonstrated first with the Nibbelin Ultraflex - seamless. These subs can be run in parallel with any loudspeaker using no crossovers or with an active sub amplifier / your choice. Just for fun we hooked them in parallel with the Parker Audio 2 ohm speakers bringing the impedance down to 1.2 ohms and ran the SE84CS amp. I think everyone was amazed at the full range (huge) sound (down to 20 Hz) of this combo being driven by a mere 2 watts per channel!

In the coming weeks the new Decware speakers will start appearing on the web site for sale. Each will be fully documented and priced. "

[quote author=bassboy link=1128614995/45#45 date=1128702364]Steve, just a couple of thoughts. If the "typical" visitor views 26.3 files in 6.6 minutes and then left, it would seem to me that they did not find what they were looking for. So the numbers don't mean much.

Also, I find it rather interesting that you don't have time to respond to a one paragraph business related email that requires only a yes or no answer but you have time to make pretty pie charts. I'm not the only one, it is well documented in these forums that you have to call to get any type of response.

While I am drawn here because of some of your fascinating ideas, I will never do business with someone who won't reply to a business email.

All that aside, I am sure there really are hundreds of people who would have loved to attend Decfest. [/quote]

Couple of things;

The numbers are easily misunderstood.

It IS well documented that I can't answer all my e-mails right on the bottom of the e-mail form where it gives my personal cell phone and recommends you call if your e-mail is not answered promptly. You didn't call.

I found your e-mail (that I didn't answer) and it was asking if a person could use a 1.5 inch thick door to make an imperial and if that would eliminate the need for braces. It would seem to me that being such a confident horn builder (as indicated by your posts here) your common sense would have answered that for you. BTW the answer is Yes unless there are voids in the door - and there are - so No. And Yes, you still would have had to brace it.

I am guilty of nothing - the site clearly states I can't answer all my e-mails, yet you slam me on a public forum waving the term "business e-mail" around and you haven't even purchased any plans or redemption number that I can find to date. That's some pretty funny business.

Attendance here is voluntary. The pugnacious nature of each of Bassboys (perhaps an extra "B"?) indicates a member who would prefer to defecate on the thoughts and efforts of others. Too easy my friend. If you don't like it here, adios, if you do, present yourself in a manner which endears us all with your vast experience and intellect.

The key word here is promptly. I waited almost 3 months for a reply of any kind. While I am not a seasoned horn builder, it is amazing the amount of research that can be conducted in 3 months. For example, I learned that the plans for the imperial are included in the pictures section of the website. I did not use these plans, as I had already built my own from the 1956 plans while I was waiting.

I was very willing to purchase plans and also had my eye on a couple of tube amps. In short the moral of the story is this - you can't advertise yourself as a mom and pop shop where customer service is better than big box shops and then ignore people without alienating them. It was pretty obvious from the message I sent that I was trying to find out mostly if there would be ANY reply at all to gauge what type of business I was dealing with. At that time the What's New section looked like it had not been updated in two years.

Now just for example, if I bought a tube amp and it was damaged in shipping, I would expect to have access to someone in the shop. As I do not operate during normal business hours, email is the only option, other than calling at 4am, which is not ideal for anyone.

I would be willing to bet your local highschools have co op programs which you could use for free labor to free up some of your time, I would even guess you could get free internships out of some of the people here just for the experience of being in a brilliant creative atmosphere.

This site and this business have the opportunity to change the entire industry for the better, the products and r&d are very obviously top notch, that is why I am here. But word of mouth is probably going to account for as many new customers as the website. Not answering email from potential new customers is going to generate bad word of mouth advertising, that's the way the world works. If you are too busy, simply remove the email option to avoid this situation.

As far as common sense goes: large panels need bracing, large compression chambers need bracing, horn flares need to be ever expanding, front horn loading is better for low frequenices than back loading, large dead spots inside the box are useless (1956 imperial)

Now that I think about it, the fact that you were able to correctly identify me by an email sent months ago and a post I have since deleted due to overwhelming lack of interest speaks to your passion and pride in business by showing that you are reading your email and the forums. THAT is the kind of person I am looking to do business with.